Dale Peterson out of Department of Agriculture job talks, says offer was meant to keep him out of next commissioner race

In this Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011, file photo, rancher Dale Peterson, of Birmingham, Ala., speaks with supporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. Alabama Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan and Peterson discussed Peterson serving as his confidential assistant at an annual salary of $72,686, but now say the hiring is off. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — A plan by state Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan to hire one of his 2010 campaign opponents, YouTube sensation Dale Peterson, is off.

McMillan said Thursday he withdrew the job offer to Peterson because of negative reaction to the hiring, but Peterson said he pulled out when it became clear that McMillan was trying to sideline him from possibly running again in 2014.

"Apparently McMillan's goal wasn't to look out for the good of the department and the people, but rather to look out for his political interests by neutralizing me and keeping me obscure," he said.

Peterson, a Shelby County businessman, has been a frequent speaker at Republican and conservative meetings due, in part, to a YouTube campaign ad that went viral in 2010. In it, the tough-talking businessman rode a horse, toted a gun and promised to run the thugs and criminals out of Montgomery.

Despite the ad getting nearly 2.6 million views, Peterson finished third in the Republican primary for agriculture commissioner. He endorsed McMillan in the runoff, and then McMillan went on to beat Democrat Glen Zorn in the general election.

After taking office in January 2011, McMillan hired Zorn as an assistant commissioner.

Peterson said he found out that his office would be at a farmers market near the department rather than in the department's headquarters and that McMillan had discussed his hiring with two large agricultural groups to get their approval before offering the job.

"So my question is: Who is running the Department of Agriculture and Industries? I don't know who it is, but I do know it is certainly not John McMillan," Peterson said.

McMillan said he appreciated Peterson's support in the 2010 runoff, and he was hoping to have him work on special projects. He said Peterson offended some groups in the campaign and he did meet with them to discuss the hiring.

"Once it hit the newspapers, we got deluged with negative opposition," he said.

"After meeting with him and discussing it with him, it was obvious it was not going to work out," McMillan said. He said he notified Peterson on Wednesday that the job was off.

Peterson announced Thursday that he had pulled out. When asked about a possible campaign in 2014, Peterson said, "At this point, all options are on the table."

Phillip Rawls of the Associated Press staff in Montgomery wrote this article.

Below is the 2010 YouTube video that made Peterson a household name during that year's race.